More reel time for Independent Picture House
July 27, 2024
Charlotte’s hub for indie films expands with a new, larger theater and more space for community gatherings.
by Michael J. Solender
Earlier this year, Independent Picture House executive director Brad Ritter was just beginning to plan a two-year anniversary celebration of Charlotte’s only independent theater dedicated to art-house films.
Instead, he found himself in the throes of an expansion that will nearly double the size of the venue, adding a larger screening theater, more pre-function space and a garage door that opens onto the theater’s outdoor patio.
“An opportunity presented itself with the adjacent space becoming available in our building,” Ritter says. “And while our strategy envisioned expansion three to five years out, this situation was too good for us to pass up.”
In addition to daily film screenings, a significant portion of the nonprofit’s revenue comes from space rentals to other arts nonprofits and local businesses, Ritter says. The expanded space will provide greater flexibility for hosting various groups.
In the expansion, IPH will add 4,600 square feet to its existing 5,500-square-foot footprint. The new 149-seat theater will be its largest yet, complementing existing theaters that seat 105, 77 and 17. Ritter envisions the new space, which will have theatrical lighting, will host improv and comedy shows and musical performances.
The work is set to begin this month and is expected to be complete by mid-November. In July, about 65% of the estimated $725,000 project cost had already been raised, says Ritter, who was general manager of The Manor before the Myers Park theater closed in 2020.
“Our growth is mirroring what is going on in the surrounding neighborhood,” he says, noting the retail shops and apartments springing up around the nearby LYNX Blue Line Sugar Creek Station. “Everything about IPH has exceeded my expectations. Many thought it was crazy to open an independent theater in the middle of Covid, yet here we are two years later, thriving.” SP
Featured Image: Rendering by LaBella Associates
